Monday, April 9, 2012

New
Delhi, April 7: So called Dalit community, which turned to Christianity
for 'dignity' is now feeling that it has been betrayed by the Vatican
and Church authorities in India.

The Poor Christian Liberation
Movement (PCLM) has blamed Church Authorities of conspiring to include
them in the Scheduled Caste list, which it said is not acceptable to
Dalit Christians.

In an open letter to His Holiness Pope
Benedict XVI’s and Church authorities, the PCLM President R L Francis
said Dalits converted to Christianity to preserve their dignity, there
by losing out on reservation benefits available to them under the
Constitution.

Demanding compensation for the 20
million Dalits who have turned to Christianity, Francis said Dalits have
suffered heavy economic losses by foregoing reservation and converting
to Christianity to get respect and dignity in the Christian society.

“The US Church authorities and Vatican
has paid millions of dollars in compensation for sexual perversion of
few of its priests,” he said, asking why Indian church authorities could
not pay for a more serious ‘collective sin’ (Astha Ka Balatkar) factor.

In a press release, Francis said the
efforts of the Indian church authorities to put dalits turned into
Christianity yet again in the scheduled Caste list would promote
casteism in Christianity. He has also commented that, “It’s a mockery of
Jesus Christ’ sacrifice on the Cross.”

In this Good Friday message to all Poor
Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) state level office bearers and
cadre, Francis urged them to prepare and preserve documents of various
socio-economic losses and damages caused to the millions of Dalit
Christians because of the absolute neglect, lethargy and gross
carelessness of the Church authorities.